What is +POOL?

+ POOL is a plus-shaped, water-filtering, floating swimming pool, designed to filter the very river that it floats in through the walls of the pool, making it possible for New Yorkers and its visitors to swim in clean river water. + POOL strives to reclaim the river as a recreational resource for the city, while educating the public about issues affecting our water quality.

Why a pool?

New York is an incredible place to live. You can do almost anything here. Anything, except swim in the river. Manhattan is an island — literally surrounded by water — but we haven’t been able to swim safely in the river for decades. It started with a simple idea: instead of trying to clean the entire river, what if you started by cleaning it piece by piece? And what if you could change how New Yorkers see their rivers, just by giving them a chance to swim in it? + POOL will clean more than 600,000 gallons of river water every single day. No chemicals, no chlorine, just natural river water.

Why a non-profit?

When + POOL opens, it will be the first time New Yorkers have been able to swim directly in their river since 1938. That experience needs to be available for everybody. Following the footsteps of innovative public/private projects like The High Line, we created Friends of + POOL, a 501c3 non-profit, to ensure that it benefits the public in the best way possible.

Our nonprofit supports the development and eventual operation and maintenance of + POOL, but was also founded to support the preservation, restoration and conservation of natural bodies of water; promote water stewardship; and educate the public about the importance of clean water.

DESIGN

How is it designed?

+ POOL is for everyone, which is why it’s designed as four pools in one: a Kid’s pool, Sports pool, Lap pool and Lounge pool. Each can be used independently to cater to all types of swimmers, combined to form an Olympic-length lap pool, or opened completely into a 9,000 square foot pool for play. Its universally recognizable shape and unusual offshore siting immediately position + POOL as an iconic piece of public infrastructure.

Like a giant strainer dropped in the river, + POOL filters river water within its walls, removing bacteria, contaminants and odors, leaving only safe, swimmable water that meets local and state standards.